The CVUSD school board voted 4-0 last night to postpone (until August 16) the vote to replace Board Policy 6142.1 regarding sex education starting in 7th Grade. This policy would implement the new California Law AB 329. Board member John Andersen proposed the delay in the vote so that more input could be gathered from the community.

I hope that this information will be helpful for each family in making “opt-in/opt-out” decisions for your own seventh grade children.

First, there is an interesting terminology change: Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are now called Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). It is not clear why this change was made. Additionally, the new curriculum would talk more about the varieties of ways that STIs are transmitted, including tattoos and piercings. There is content in the new curriculum about the new anti-viral therapies that now mean that HIV is not fatal.

In the past, only abstinence was taught as the foolproof way to prevent STIs. Now in addition to abstinence, additional methods of preventing infection would be discussed with the seventh grade children. In the new curriculum there are now “medical” photos of diseased organs versus healthy organs.

The new curriculum would talk about same-sex relationships, definitions of gender, gender identity and gender expression and more broad definitions of family.

As has been done in the past, there would continue to be a pre-meeting for seventh grade parents each year where they can review the curriculum and ask questions before they make their “opt-in/opt-out” decision.

I hope that my overview of these proposed sex education changes will be helpful for you.